The Root Of Their Demise
by Epoli
Summary: Root has taken over Konoha during the Chunin exam. Naruto and Gaara must team up in order to stop their reign of tyranny. Along the way, they find friends and lovers where least expected. Naruto/Harem and perhaps Gaara/Hinata.
1. Evil Takes Root

**Evil Takes Root**

_Today was the day. After all their work, the finals to the Chunin exams were finally here. Would they fight and prove their superiority, or would they lose and embarass themselves and possibly their families? Only time would tell whether or not they'd prove themselves worthy of being promoted from the lowly rank of Genin to the level of Chunin...

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_

Waking to the sound of an alarm clock, a young teenager pulls himself out of bed to prepare for his long day. After all that time training with the pervert, Jaraiya, he would actually have the chance to prove himself to all these people that looked down on him.

With a grin on his face, he quickly got dressed, brushed his teeth and then left his apartment in the direction of the ramen stand for a quick bowl of miso ramen, or two or three... dozen. Maybe if he was lucky, he could get his old teacher, Iruka, to buy him a meal for this big day, but decided to bug him after the tournament was over. Whether he made it or failed, he could get the results to work in his favor to get a free meal from the man.

Upon arrival to the ramen stand, he shouted out to the owner and their daughter. "Hey, Teuchi-san! Hey, Ayame-neechan! Can I get two bowls of miso ramen, quick? I'm in a bit of a hurry."

Looking up from their work, Teuchi called out, "Naruto! Good to see you, my boy! Today's the big day, and we've actually already started on your meal since we figured you'd be stopping by." With that said, he gave the pot one last stir with his ladel and then dished out four large bowls of miso soup for the blonde-haired boy.

Staring down at the food, with a hint of drool at the corner of his mouth, Naruto clapped his hands together and shouted out his thanks before diving into his meal, finishing a bowl a minute, until four short minutes later when he set the last one down upon the pile of empty bowls. "Delicious! I swear, your food gets better every time I eat it!"

Reaching into his pocket for Gama-chan, thinking that the frog will feel slightly hungry after the serious diet he was putting it on with his constant intake of ramen, he was surprised when a hand was placed on his shoulder to stop him. "Don't worry about it, Naruto. Think of it as our way of wishing you luck for today. As a matter of fact," the man said as he looked over at his daughter who was cleaning up the kitchen, "we're closing shop for the day so we can go see your match! Only things we ask in return are for you to kick butt, and be sure to get Iruka to come along afterwards and buy you plenty of ramen. Have to keep us in business, right?" At this last part, both Naruto and Teuchi grinned at eachother and gave a thumbs up.

"Alright, I'm headed to the arena so I can kick some ass. See you later, Teuchi-san, Ayame-neechan!" That said, the hyperactive boy clad in an orange jumpsuit dashed from the ramen stand in the direction that nearly everyone else was slowly moving towards. Snickering to himself, Naruto felt like these people were nothing more than sheep that were being herded. Today, he'll make sure they all see him in a different light, even if he dies in the process.

Not really paying attention to much else, a chill went down his spine as he stepped into the shadow of the arena. Removing his sight from those around him, he looked up at the arena's structure that was blocking out the sun and he couldn't help but feel a foreboding sensation. No one else seemed to show signs of experiencing the same sensation, but he definitely felt like there was something horrible going to happen today.

Shaking off this sensation, Uzumaki Naruto laughed at himself for being so foolish, and then he made his way inside so as not to be late...

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Sitting within a windowless office in an undisclosed location within Konoha, an elderly man with half of his face covered in banages sat behind his desk while listening to a report from his subordinate from Root.

Kneeling before the elderly man, the ninja looked down while delivering his report from beneath his ANBU mask. "Danzo-sama, we've discovered Sound and Sand military forces moving in to surround Konoha, as well as some ninja that have been confirmed as being followers of Orochimaru. It seems they're planning an attack during the Chunin exams. Shall we inform the Sandaime?"

Stroking his scarred chin, Danzo pondered on this for a moment before answering. "No, we'll keep this to ourselves. However, inform the rest of Root to move into strategic positions; we'll use this attack as our chance to move in and take over Konoha. Once we've taken over, I'll become the Godaime. No longer will we be in the shadows, and this nation will rise to it's true potential. Nothing shall get in our way."

Chuckling beneath his breath, he began issuing orders to his Root ninjas that were waiting on hand, quickly dispatching them to bring his plans into fruition. After today, nothing would be the same...

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**~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~**

_So, there's the first chapter. Every chapter after this will be WAY longer, so don't worry. Since I can't guarantee constant access to this PC with my fiance also writing her Twilight fanfic, I'll just choose the update schedule of every friday. This way, you can read the fanfic and the manga in one sitting! Oh, and I'm looking for proofreaders. Any that are interested, please get in touch with me so we can work things out._

**Read, rate and check back next friday for more!**


	2. Fight Against Destiny

**Fight Against Destiny**

_Gathered in the designated corridor, the Chunin-hopefuls worked to suppress their nerves and/or excitement before they were called out onto the arena floor. It would not be long before they stood in front the large crowd that had come to witness the wins and losses of these up and coming Genin. Within a short period of time, they would learn if they had the right stuff, or if still had a long way to go. No matter that case, everyone's in for more than they expected...

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_Walking out onto the arena floor, Naruto felt his nerves nearly on edge as much as the time they'd spent fighting against Zabuza. Though there wasn't any mist to hinder his field of vision, he couldn't pinpoint the location of his anxiety anywhere in the stadium. No matter what he tried, he couldn't shake the sensation that there were too many unfamiliar faces in the crowd.

Turning to voice his opinion, he found that his fellow teammate was not to be seen amongst the other Genin. "Hey, where's Sasuke at? That idiot best not have run out, because I'm looking forward to shoving my foot in his-"

"Naruto, please be quiet. This is all troublesome enough as it is." Shikamaru had said this before the blonde could finish voicing his distaste for Sasuke's tardiness, which only furthered his irritability.

Turning to face the lazy person next to him, he began to take all of his aggravation out on the shadow manipulator. "Shikamaru, you're only pissed because you have one extra fight compared to the rest of us. If you had your way, you'd be at home, sitting on your ass and looking up at the freaking clouds!"

Rubbing his temples, Shikamaru looked away from Naruto and concentrated on ignoring the loud mouth. 'Not like he has to fight 3 times just to get into the finals. If I didn't have to worry about Ino chewing me out for quitting, I would indeed be at home, watching the clouds. How troublesome...'

"You two, stop being children and actually stand up straight. You've got an obligation to give the customers a show." This said, the Jonin that had replaced the sickly Hayate as referee faced the crowd with a cocky smirk upon his face. 'Doesn't get much better than this.'

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In the upper levels the stadium, the third Hokage sat in the VIP box provided to him and any other Kage that wished to view the Chunin exam's finals. Thinking to himself that this batch of Genin was one of the better groups that they've had in quite some time, he failed to notice as the fourth Kazekage sidled into the booth.

"Hello, Sarutobi." The Kazekage spoke from beneath his wide-brimmed hat and his off-white veil. "I hope I'm not intruding by inquiring to sit with you during this joyous occasion."

Turning his attention from his inner musings toward his Suna counterpart, Sarutobi smiles and waves his hand towards the seat beside him. "Of course not, my old friend. You should know by now that what's mine is yours."

Beneath the veil was a very toothy smile that went unseen, however the third Hokage did take note that the Kazekage's eyes had a strange look about them that he didn't remember being there before. Playing it off on stress and old age, Sarutobi turned back to the arena floor and wait for the show to start.

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Turning back to the Genin, the Jonin referee spoke to the teens to inform them of a few things. "Here's the updated schedule for the tournament. Remember it, because I won't be showing it again."

With his usual lazy appearance written all over his face and body, Shikamaru turned to the chart a short while after the others only to see that the only changes that took place affected him solely. 'What's going on? Did that sound nin drop out? Something's not right, here.'

"That's all good and junk, but what happens since Sasuke's not here?" Naruto's question seemed to only further annoy the referee, though the others felt it was a valid question. Perhaps, if he had said it in a more polite manner, the results wouldn't be so bad.

Eye twitching slightly, the referee fought to keep a cool head when dealing with this snot-nosed brat. "When his round comes up, he will be disqualified if he hasn't yet arrived. Oh, and you'll be disqualified if you ask me one more stupid question. Am I making myself clear?!"

Seeing the crazed look in the man's eyes, a chill went down the Genin's back. "Sir, yes sir!" Quickly turning away from the Chunin exam's referee, Naruto walked mechanically away to hide amongst the other combatants, where he instantly hunched down with a bashful look on his face.

From up in the stands, an isolated group of people laughed at Naruto's expense.

"Naruto, you haven't changed a bit!" The feral looking teen nearly pissed his pants while laughing, his canine companion barking merrily from atop his head.

"Oi! Shut up, dog breath!" Naruto shouted up at the boy he'd previously defeated in a one-on-one match, shaking a fist to emphasize his words.

Startled out of his laughter, the Inuzuka sat forward and glared daggers and the blonde moron. "What did you just say to me, your orange loving queer boy?!"

A snarl upon his face, he laughed viciously while continuing to goad the boy. "Hah, and who was the one that lost our last match? I seem to be a little foggy on the details. Do you remember?"

"You little shithead! I want a rematch! No way you could get lucky like that again!" Pointing a challenging finger towards the ramen loving boy, Kiba growled predatorily.

Letting his fast land in his palm, he continued to poke and prod the boy. "Oh, that's right! I did win that fight, didn't I? Well, that would certainly explain why I'm down here and you're up there." Snickering at his own wit, he hadn't noticed the man behind him until he was smacked on the head with a clipboard.

Turning an indignant glare upon the man, he began to swear at the man. "Oi! What the hell's your issue?!"

A demonic glint showing in the man's eye, he grinned evilly at the now fuming boy in front of him. "Was that a question? If so, I'd be more than happy to-"

Panic filling his veins, he quickly waved his hands in front of him in a disarming fashion. "No! No, no, no! I was just thinking out loud to myself. Please don't make me leave!" Clapping his hands together, he looked up at the man with a pleading look on his face.

Seeing the puppy dog look coming from the boy in front of him, the proctor kicked himself for being unable to follow through with his threat. "Fine, fine. Just stand there and shut up. It's time for your match, anyways." As if they had actually been able to hear him, the entire arena's noise began to decrease in volume.

Coughing slightly before raising his voice, the proctor turned to face the Hokage up in the booth to make sure he had the green light to begin the matches. Seeing a slight smile on the elderly man's face and slow nod, he raised his hands above his head to gain the audience's attention.

"First match is Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji. All other fighters, please head up to the contestant box to wait for your turn." Giving the Genin around twenty seconds to get situated, he then turned to the two fighters. "Are you two ready?" Seeing the Hyuuga's smirking face and the blond's dark glare, both of them standing in a fighting stance to indicate that they were ready, he nodded. "Let the first match... BEGIN!"

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Back up in the VIP booth, the two Kages sat in eager silence while waiting for the match to begin.

Breaking the quiet period, the Kazekage spoke up. "It seems that the loud-mouthed brat will finally be shut up by his superior. How long do you think it will take for the Hyuuga boy to win, Sarutobi?"

A slightly knowing grin on the man's face, the third Hokage looked back at the fourth Kazekage. "Don't count Naruto out just yet. He has a knack of rising against the odds and surprising everyone. Just you wait and see."

Noting the man's simple words held an almost caring tone to them, he had to ask the man about it. "Why is it you hold the boy in such regards? You speak of him as if he's of your own ilk, which I know not to be the case."

Sitting back in his seat, the older man looked down at the aforementioned boy and sighed. "While he may be a pain in my neck, he does have a great deal of redeeming qualities. Even in the worst situations, he always looks for the best in things. After all the time that I've known him, he's become almost like a grandchild to me. While not related by blood, he's still quite precious to me." Smiling down at the boy, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. 'You're turning out just like your father, brat. I'm sure he'd be proud of you.'

During the conversation, the Hokage noticed the referee looking up at him for confirmation to start the match, so he nodded slightly. "Shall we hold off on this until after the match? I can't help but feel excited for some strange reason...."

A focused look in his eyes, the other kage looked down at the two boys with an interest he'd not shown until this time. "Yes, let's."

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Hearing the man in the middle of the ring announce the beginning of the match, Naruto tensed his muscles and stood firmly in his place.

Tilting his head to the side, the pale-eyed Hyuuga smirked at his opponent. "Looks like you have something to say..."

Putting out his fist and glaring darkly at him, he made a bold proclamation. "I told you before... You're definitely going down!" Without a speck of fear in him, he stared down the boy with a noble family.

"Hehe... That's what makes it worthwhile." Raising his hand with fingers closed, the older boy turned his palm towards the blonde. "It will be fun to watch you fall apart when you discover reality."

A vicious grin on his face, he lowered his stance. "Stop all the blabbering! Let's fight!"

Staring into the other boy's eyes, he remembered what he'd been taught about the Byakugan. 'If I get too close, he'll press my points and I won't be able to use jutsus. I'll just have to fight from a distance.'

Using a tiger hand seal on both of his hands, Naruto crossed his arms and called out the name of his technique. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Jutsu) Creating four separate shadow clones, all five versions of the boy drew a kunai from behind their backs.

Activating his clan's bloodline limit, he examined the five figures before him to locate the real one, only to find they all had the exact same chakra pathways and levels of chakra.

Even with this daunting revelation, the Byakugan wielder smirked at the (in his opinion) worthless excuse of a ninja. "They may be the same, but there's only one true body in the end."

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**~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~**

_Okay, please don't kill me - I realize that it's not much different from the original story. I had difficulty writing it because it felt repetitive. The next chapter will have all the fights, but will be far more interesting. I thank the two people that gave me reviews, even though one was kind of rude. Thank you all for reading, and please review - reviews help me to improve the story._

_The only time Japanese will be used is for stuff like Byakugan, jutsus and titles (ie. Hokage, Kazekage, etc.). I do this because it makes it easier for everyone that reads._

**Read, rate and check back next friday for more!**


	3. To Break The Bonds Of Fate

**To Break The Bonds Of Fate**

_Looking on as the scene unfolds, the audience watched the fight against destiny with baited breaths. Would they bear witness to something unexpected, or would it be proven that everyone's fate is written in stone? Whatever the outcome, today would be a decisive turning point in more than one way...

* * *

_Letting out a loud grunt, the younger Genin's four clones all rushed toward his older, overbearing opponent. Without any particular stance, he leaned forward and put his wait into his upper body to gain more speed and force.

However, before he could land a blow upon the pale-eyed boy, two of his clones were jumped over and pushed to the ground, while the other two were kicked in the stomach. While the two clones were dispersed, the first two had turned around and tried for a second attack, only to be hit with open-palmed thrusts just below their chests.

Standing in his initial position, having not moved when his clones had attacked, Naruto looked on with a dazed expression. 'What the... Does this guy have eyes in the back of his head?'

Byakugan still activated, Neji wore a pompous smirk upon his face as he began to belittle the blonde. "Become Hokage? It's impossible, with that. Talent is decided at your birth... You could say that everything is decided when a person is born."

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Stifling a yawn, the Kazekage looked on while the two teenagers were talking. "I thought this was supposed to be a fight - not two neighbor women gossiping over their fence."

Snickering at his associate's snide comment, he couldn't help but explain the situation. "In the preliminary matches, Neji had faced off against his cousin, Hinata, who is of the main branch. Having lived a difficult life from being in the branch family, the boy took the match personally and nearly killed the girl." Taking a breath, he tried to gauge the fourth Kazekage's reaction to the story. "Naruto, being the lad that he is, felt that Neji had gone overboard. Taking it upon himself, he vowed to defeat Neji for the sake of Hinata."

Having been quiet throughout the story, the Kazekage leaned his head back for a moment, a thoughtful expression visible around his eyes. "Hmmmm... I wonder if the boy has what it takes." Hearing a shift in volume within the crowd, he turned his attention back to the competitors to find that something was happening between the two.

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Having created over a dozen more shadow clones after Neji's speech, he used them all to launch a larger scale assault on the arrogant boy before him, but was unable to land a blow at all. "DAMN IT! I CAN'T CATCH HIM AT ALL!"

'I told you I'm not stupid. I know where the true body is!' Having spotted one of the blonde figures hanging back from the fight, he knew that this had to be the real one. Thrusting two of his fingers into Naruto's heart, he chuckled as the other clones dispersed. "Fearing having your points pressed, one body is doing the least amount of attacking. The more you attack, the clearer it becomes. The real one is you. That's why I told you it was useless."

Gasps and exclamations rained down from the audience, while Naruto began to nearly vomit blood from his mouth while hunching over. The crowd soon began to grow quiet as they heard something they had not expected - laughter coming from the boy clad in orange. "Hah, that's why..." He looked up at the startled, dark-haired boy's face with a blood covered feral grin. " I told you to stop automatically deciding things."

Catching everyone off-guard, the clone before Neji then dispersed, while two more of the boy leapt from behind at Neji's back. This attack was unexpected by the Hyuuga boy and a great deal of cheers from Kiba. Neji hadn't been the only one that wasn't expecting this, as some of the ANBU were even shocked by the boy's clever ruse.

"I'm coming at you with everything I got, and already prepared to die!" Throwing his fist at Neji, both of the Naruto bodies grinned as they felt their fists connect with their target. However, their excitement was short-lived as they saw the other boy smirk, lower his stance and they spin while releasing a great deal of chakra. Being flung backwards by the unexpected attack, both Naruto and his clone cried out as they hit the ground.

Everyone in the arena, other than the boy who'd unleashed the attack, were shocked into a speechless stupor at what they'd just witnessed. Even Hinata's father, the head of the main Hyuuga family, was thrown through a loop at this display. 'How can it be? ...Kaiten... the Heavenly Spin...'

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Sitting forward, both the Hokage and Kazekage were shocked at what they'd seen. However, the Kazekage was the first to collect his thoughts and ask about what they'd just seen.

Turning to his leaf counterpart, the Kazekage asked the first thing that came to mind. "Uh... Sarutobi... Could you please explain to me what just happened?"

Taking a moment to regain his cool, he turned to face the veiled man. "That is a technique called Kaiten. As to what it does... Basically, the Byakugan's sphere of vision is nearly 360 degrees. Using this, he can also sense all of his opponent's attacks. Right before the attack lands, he releases a large amount of chakra from the chakra openings throughout his pond, which stops the enemy's attack. Then, by spinning his body like a top, he's able to blast them all away." A slight grin coming to his face, he then voiced something that had occurred to him during this speech. "Between Gaara and Neji, whose defense do you think is stronger?"

Hunching over, the Kazekage brought his hands beneath his chin and looked forward with a thoughtful expression, as though he were thinking of an answer.

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"It's over. You are within the field of my Hakke." Lowering himself into a new stance, Neji nearly folded himself in half as he brought his left hand down just beside his left foot, and raised his right hand far above his right foot. "Gentle Fist style, 64 Hands of Hakke."

Swiveling his body, he delivered one blow to the stomach and one to sternum. "Hakke two hands!"

Dealing two blows with each hand, he hit the boy quickly. "Four hands!"

Launching four blows with each hand at Naruto's upper body, he caused the blonde to begin hunching over from the pain. "Eight hands!"

Striking with eight more blows per hand, he moved forward in order to reach more targets upon the boy's physique. "Sixteen hands!"

Now striking the upper body and even the face, he delivered sixteen more shots per hand with his unique style. "Thirty-two hands!"

Firing off thirty-two blows with each hand in a rapid succession, he blew his foe backwards. "SIXTY-FOUR HANDS!!!"

After being knocked backwards, Naruto was only able to come to his knees after having all of his chakra openings sealed. With all the pain, he was only happy that he couldn't quite understand what Neji was saying, but was sure that he was talking down to him again.

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The Hokage, after witnessing the hyperactive boy's defeat, began to stroke the bridge of his nose. 'This isn't good...'

Interrupting the Sandaime's train of thought, the Kazekage spoke out. "It's a shame we didn't bet on the outcome, because I would've won."

Hearing the gasps of the audience, both of them turned towards the match to notice that Naruto had climbed to his feet in a show of not backing down.

"Is he stupid? Without being able to release his chakra, his body's in no shape to continue on." Waving his hand in a dismissive fashion, the Kazekage tilted his hat down and shut his eyes. "Wake me when the Hyuuga's won."

Letting out a disheartened sigh, the elderly man stared off into space. Letting his mind wander for a good period of time, he didn't pay attention again until he felt a type of chakra he'd not felt for a long time.

Realizing the Kazekage had also felt it, they both looked down at the match, having lost track of what was going on for the past few minutes.

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After listening to Neji explain his hatred of the main branch family, and explain why one is unable to fight destiny, Naruto finally grew enraged.

"With your chakra openings closed, you're unable to use your chakra. How can you expect to win like that?" Smirking at his Naruto's horrible situation, he turned to the referee. "Since he's not backing down, I plan to go at him with the intent to kill. Stop me if you wish."

Remembering back to his training with Jiraiya, Naruto recalled that the pervert had mentioned he had more than one type of chakra. With the aide of the demon sealed within him, he may be able to force open his chakra openings to allow him to use his Ninjutsu.

Using his Byakugan, Neji saw that Naruto was no longer without the use of his chakra, but was using an oddly colored energy to force through. To make things worse, the energy took on something quite demonic that he'd never seen before. 'Who is he?!'

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'The feelings of this chakra... it is definitely the nine-tails... When did he learn...!' Unease forming in the pit of his stomach, Sarutobi sat forward on the edge of his seat and prayed that the seal did not break.

Unknown to the Hokage, the Kazekage was shaking not with fear, but with excitement as he looked from Naruto to Gaara. 'It would appear that Gaara's noticed it, too. I sure hope he can keep his emotions in check for a little longer.'

Just during the time that he'd looked at his youngest 'son', he'd missed a great deal of the match and saw that the tide had drastically turned.

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After Naruto had launched himself at Neji with all of his power, the Hyuuga boy was barely in time to use his Kaiten to lessen the attack's power.

Even though the attack wasn't nearly as effective, both boys were flung backwards from the explosion of their attacks, plowing into the ground as they went, kicking up a great deal of dust.

With the crowd holding their breaths, they waited for the dust to settle so they could see who the winner would be. They all turned towards one of the holes as they heard coughing coming from it, only to find that Neji was climbing his way out, covered in scrapes and bruises. Varying reactions came from the those looking on, ranging between shocked gasps and comforted sighs, while the boy began walking towards his opponents battered body.

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Nearly having a heart attack, Sarutobi was shocked when he saw that Naruto had not only been blown back by the Kaiten, but that was no match for the older boy. 'Even with his demonic energy, he was unable to win. Will nothing work?'

The Kazekage sighed in relief as the tightness in his chest lessened, and the expression on Gaara's face relaxed some. 'If that had gone on much longer, everything could have been ruined. That boy may cause me some issues in the future...' However, he was unable to complete this train of thought as something unexpected happened on the arena floor.

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Having reached where the blonde had landed, Neji wipe his mouth clean of blood before glaring at his opponent. "Loser..." Gasping from having exerted himself to such levels, Neji once again lectured the boy before him. "Sorry, but... this is reality."

Hearing something that wasn't there a moment ago, he looked down in shock as the ground beneath his feet erupted upwards as Naruto delivered a powerful uppercut to his chin. Lifted off his feet with the force, his head was knocked backwards and blood flew from his mouth as Naruto came stood beside the hole he had dug with his bear hands.

Blood dripping from his abused fingertips, he looked down at his motionless opponent. Exhausted from everything that had happened, he was barely able to keep on his feet.

"Ugh... To quickly use the Kage Bunshin in that situation... Your main Ninjutsu, eh? How careless of me..." Trying to calm himself with this thought, he figured he could play it off that he'd only lost because the other boy knew a Jonin caliber technique.

Lowering his head in thought, Naruto began to speak of his past. "I... I failed the academy graduation exam three times..." Seeing the confused look on Neji's face, he continued on. "that's because, unluckily for me, the Ninjutsu test on the final exam was always decided as... always decided as my weakest Ninjutsu." Frowning as if the words coming out of his mouth left a bad taste, he spoke further. "The Bunshin no Jutsu... was my worst Ninjutsu."

Noting the shocked frown on the Hyuuga's face, he once again berated Neji for his viewpoints. "Destiny can't be changed, blah blah. Stop whining about stupid crap like that." Tightening his fists, he tried to reign in his emotions as he said the next part slightly more quietly. "Since... You're not a loser like me."

'Heh, this is sure to cause a stir.' The referee, Shiranui Genma, then turned to the crowd with a smile on his face. "Winner! Uzumaki Naruto!"

Figuring that he was still hated by most of the people in Konoha, he wasn't surprised at the silence that awaited him as he walked back to his seat. Halfway to his seat, though, he stopped in his tracks as he heard something alien to his ears. The audience was cheering... for him! Eyes slightly watering, he firmly closed them, placed one hand behind his head in a bashful expression and used the other to throw out a V for Victory with his index and middle fingers.

With the shock of receiving such praise, he failed to notice the absence of two of his friends, Hinata and Kiba.

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Distracted at the scene that had unfolded before him, the Hokage failed to notice the Kazekage looking over at one of the ANBU in the crowd with a look of recognition...

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**~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~**

_And that, folks, is the third chapter. I wanted to keep the fight scenes fairly similar to their originals, so I figured I'd mix it up a bit and cut some scenes out. Next chapter will have the rest of the fights up until where Gaara and Sasuke fight. Oh, and if you have been keeping track, there are steadily more words in each chapter that I put out. Chapter five, you'll see a huge jump in the number._

_Hope y'all appreciated this chapter, since my birthday was on this past Wednesday. We should all be grateful that I stayed sober long enough to write this chapter. xD  
_

**Read, rate and check back next friday for more!**


	4. The Darkness Within

**The Darkness Within**

_Destiny and fate no longer being set in black and white, the views of many have changed. A boy of distasteful origins had not only proven himself to be more than trash, and shown a lad favored by excellent lineage, but had done so in front of a crowd of a few hundred people. After showing such an excellent fight, only time would tell how things would turn out for him and the others..._

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Laughing mirthfully with a bashful look on his face, the blonde boy took in all the cheers for him, trying his hardest to ignore the glares of hatred from most of the people that reside within his own hometown.

Before the crowd could calm down, Uzumaki Naruto made his way back to his seat so he could be situated comfortably before his teammate's match. 'Sure hope Sasuke gets his ass here in time - want to know what to look forward to when I get to beat him down.' This in mind, he thought of all the ways he could prove himself while beating the snot out of his rival, when he was stunned out of his thoughts when he felt another deep chill settle into his body that was even worse than before.

Seeing the expression on the boy's face, and the lack of pigment that's normally there, a white-haired man began to wonder if his pupil was really okay after that fight. Taking the initiative, he made his way over to the orange-clad boy and to figure out what was going on. However, before he could make it to him, Naruto quickly changed the look on his face, laughed it off and quickly ran to his seat. 'What is up with that boy?'

However, before Jiraiya could reach the boy, he was stopped in his tracks at the announcement of Uchiha Sasuke's match being pushed back till last of the first rounds. Turning his face to his elderly teacher, Jiraiya tried to figure out what they were playing at by changing the layout of the tournament for one boy. 'Something doesn't feel right... Sarutobi would surely not show favoritism towards someone, no matter their familial origins.'

While staring up at the kage booth with a thoughtful expression on his face, he saw something out of place about one of the people up there. While most would overlook it, seeing as a kage is a well respected person and known in many nations, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel there was something off about the man that hid himself from view. 'I've never met the man, yet his body movements are far too familiar.'

Again being interrupted from his thoughts, his feeling of something being off were only being strengthened when the next match was finished when the Suna warrior hastily shouted that he forfeit his match. This left only two more matches left before the semi-finals began, with the abnormally large audience looking on with disdain at the second fight's outcome.

"Boo! You Suna ninja suck!"

"Coward!"

"Even the demon was willing to fight, even though he shouldn't have won!"

Hearing this last comment, everyone from nations other than Suna and Konoha became quiet with confusion. Also adding to the moment was the fact that four separate chakra spikes appeared within the stadium, only two of them that the previous statement could actually apply to.

One of the people putting off such chakra was a young boy with a tan colored gourd upon his back, dark rings brought on by extreme insomnia around his eyes, and the kanji for 'love' written upon his forehead. A manic, almost frightening look of excitement came over his face as a cloud of sand began to spin around him while his body started to hunch over, his body being racked with laughter that could only be heard by those standing beside him.

The second person to put off a similar amount of chakra was the boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, an orange jumpsuit and three whisker marks on each cheek. A feral growl could be heard from him, while the air around him grew heavy from the insidious energy that was being released from his body. Those that knew him looked on in curiosity and a slight amount of fear, while the rest of Konoha felt that he was finally showing his true colors.

The other two that were pumping out a great deal of chakra were the Sannin Jiraiya and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the third Hokage. The latter of the two motioned for the ANBU next to him to locate the man that had shouted this, and remove him from the crowd before he could shout anything else. Unexpected by the Hokage, the ANBU operative drew a kunai in a defensive stance and stood beside the Kazekage

Startled at the ANBU agent's actions, Sarutobi lowered his stance to prepare for anything. "What's the meaning of this, Kazekage? Are you really going to go against the treaty our two nations hold?"

A sadistic gleam within his eyes, the Kazekage laughed as another ANBU member stood on his other side, neither of the two showing any sign of stopping the leader of Suna. "Ku ku ku... I'm shocked that you didn't recognize me. After all the time we spent together, I can't believe you've actually forgotten your best student, _Sensei..._"

A look of shock and recognition dawned upon the Hokage, realizing just who it was beneath the robes. "Orochimaru... But how?"

Removing his robes, the man revealed his true appearance to those around him. "After years of plotting and scheming, I was finally able to get an army large enough to knock you off your thrown. You brought this on yourself by not making me the fourth. You reap what you sow!" With this last part, the two ANBU agents beside the fiendish man both lunged forward with devilish grins plastered on their faces, but were intercepted by two ANBU members that were still loyal to the Hokage.

"The punishment for traitors is DEATH!" That being said, both ANBU operatives drew their blades from their respective locations and pushed forward to place more distance between them and the leader of Konoha. The one leading the rush was wielding a katana, while the other was only a couple steps behind with a windmill shuriken.

Trying to avoid being hit, the two traitorous men tried jumping up and back. Before they could get away, though, the men pursuing them applied chakra to their feet and propelled forward fast enough to intercept them and used their blades to slice them horizontally, cutting them both in half. Sparing only a second to watch the two dismembered bodies fall from the VIP box, the two men moved back to their leader only to be pierced through the back of their skulls by golden, barb-tipped spears that left none in doubt if the men were still alive.

"Fucking assholes really think such weak ass moves could take us down?!" A red-headed woman scoffed as she landed besides the snake-like man, three others with similar garb landing beside her.

"Master, what are your orders?" A pale, gray-haired male with purple lips asked this while standing with his arms crossed.

"Follow and be ready to create a Shishienjin (Four Violet Flames Battle Encampment). Do _not_ interfere in our fight." Turning towards the old man across from him, he grinned as he spoke to him. "Shall we take this somewhere that we won't be interrupted?" Slithering his tongue out of his mouth, he seemed to be almost turned on by the thought of having a fight.

Looking around at the innocents and civilians that were running in fear from the Sound and Sand shinobi that were now mowing everyone down ruthlessly. "Yes, the sooner this is done, the sooner I can get back and help my people." Finished saying this, he lead the way to the rooftop of largest nearby building.

------------------------------

Back in the stadium, the blonde boy with an addiction to ramen was still standing rooted in place, his eyesight being turned towards the red-headed boy that was meant to fight against Sasuke. 'What's this dark, familiar feeling I'm getting off him?'

A deep, rumbling voice called out to the boy, yet no one other than him could apparently hear it. **"Ah, my brother has come for a visit. Guess we'll have to go and greet him. Let me out, brat - you have no chance of winning against him."**

Turning his head every which way, Naruto could not locate where the voice was coming from. However, hearing the last part of what it had to say, his stomach began to churn in unease. 'No, I'll never let you out. I've fought you off this long, there's no way I can lose control!'

A deep, dark laughter began to come from inside his head, that was only mirrored from the opposite side of the arena. **"Foolish boy! If you don't give me control, everyone you know will die, yourself included..."**

Shaking his head to try and dislodge the voice, Naruto grunted in pain from fighting to retain control. "I'll take my chances, you damn demon!"

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Glaring at the blonde boy from the other side of the arena, the red-haired boy with the kanji for 'love' on his forehead was clutching his head, trying to ignore the pain from the voice that was snarling at him.

**"KYUUBI! Let me out! I must sink my claws into that bastard! Boy, let me out so I can have some fun..."** Only the boy could hear the being that was locked within him, though he was shocked that no one else could hear it with how loud it is. **"Did you hear me?! LET ME OUT! I want to taste his blood. Let me out for just a little while, and I'll give you some quiet for the next week."** This was finished with a vicious snarl that almost sounded like laughter.

A look of shock quickly passed over his face at this offer. "You mean you'll let me sleep without fearing you'll come out? If you're true to your word, you have a deal, Shukaku."

Sinister laughter burst from the boy's body, with an even darker energy billowing off him. The sound was only dulled when the sand from within his gourd spun around him and sealed him in a tight cocoon. Most were confused with what this meant, though his own siblings knew and took flight so as not to get caught in the fight.

Not even three minutes later, while a war was waged all around him, the sand exploded outwards and peeled the skin off all those around him, almost like they were hit with an industrial sand blaster. Even over the screams of pain and misery, everyone could still hear the dark, malevolent, inhuman cackling originating from the indistinct mass that is located where the red-haired boy had been standing. All that could be seen was tan colored flesh, purple veins and an insane amount of sand.

"Ah, to be able to stretch my legs again. Even better, there's a ton of tasty morsels to gnosh on after I rip that kyuubi bastard limb from limb. Guess we should get started, so I can satisfy this insufferable bloodlust!" Finished speaking his intentions, Shukaku climbed onto the railing and jumped towards the blonde-haired boy that was the jailor to the nine-tailed fox with such force that it looked almost like he was flying, until he hit the ground right before the boy, leaving a large crater and lifting a cloud of dust into the air.

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Still fighting off his internal turmoil, Naruto had not even noticed he'd dispatched several Sound shinobi that had attacked him, and was only brought out of his stupor when he felt the dark energy increase in volume exponentially, and then change locations to directly in front of him. Even with sensing this change, he didn't have enough time before he was grabbed around the throat by a large, clawed hand that was coated in sand.

**"Today, your blood shall be spilt, so that I may truly sate my appetite after all this time. Beg... Scream... Cry... Resist... Whatever you do... Just entertain me!"** Stalling between each word, the demon before Naruto would clench tighter until he finished it off with a punch to his stomach so powerful that he nearly went through the arena wall, coughing up blood before settling to the ground. Looking up from the ground with a nearly dead look in his eye, Naruto saw the world nearly in a blur. Even with his vision hindered, he could see the attrocity heading towards him, killing everyone in its path. Unseen to him, the demon was also pilfering the bodies of all their kunai with his tail. This went on until the sandy beast reached him, lifted him with an extra arm formed from the sand around him and pinned the blonde to the wall with all the kunai it had collected.

**"My, how the strong have fallen. It would seem that the years of captivity have not been good on you, my brother. You sicken me."** The demon continued to mock Naruto and the demon trapped within him. However, before he finished off the boy, he saw the lad's eyes light up with recognition at something behind the demon. Taking but a moment to turn his head and see what it was, he smirked when he felt both the boy inside him and the one pinned to the wall thrash upon seeing the newcomer. **"Ah, perhaps I'll let you live long enough so you can watch me destroy that useless boy. Hmm, he smells like an Uchiha. Been a long time since I've gotten to feast on one of his brood."** Turning back to the blonde, who had a look of fear and anger in his eyes, Shukaku grinned and breathed his foul breath into the frightened boy's face. **"I'm going to enjoy the taste of his blood. Just sit back and enjoy!"**

Releasing his grip on Naruto's neck, Shukaku turned around and began making his way over towards the unsuspecting, dark-haired boy. **"This will be fun..."

* * *

****~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~**

_So, yeah, I was a little late in getting this chapter out. Went with my fiance to her grandparents, and haven't had the most amount of time to work on it. However, that bit of time gave me a chance to rethink this chapter. Figured this version would be more appreciated than what I'd originally intended to do. However, the next chapter will be out on time, so again I apologize about the tardiness of this chapter. Oh, and I'm taking suggestions on the harem for Naruto. The only ones that absolutely will not be in the harem are Hinata, Sakura or any characters from other animes/mangas._

_Alright, any suggestions or grammar/spelling corrections, please feel free to send them my way!_

**Read, rate and check back next friday for more!**


	5. Inner Demons Released

**Inner Demons Released  
**

_A joyous day has taken a turn for the worst, as everything around the young warriors soon fell to disorder. No longer was this a a tournament to display their nation's physical prowess without going to war, but now it truly was a bloody, violent war that none of this nation's residents had anticipated. After all is said and done, the best that they could hope for would be to earn back some form of normalcy...  
_

* * *

Landing on the tournament arena floor, a dark-haired boy and his one-eyed teacher surveyed the carnage around them. Quickly choosing a proper plan of action, Hatake Kakashi grasps Uchiha Sasuke's shoulder to get his attention. "Sasuke, I need you to get yourself and Naruto out of here, and try to escort the civilians to safety." Taking the boy's grunt as a yes, he continued on. "While you do that, I'll try and get some of the other Jonin to help stop that **thing** from causing anymore damage. Whatever you do, do not engage that being. Understood?" Receiving another grunt, Kakashi does not take the time to find out if that was a yes or not. "Let's do this."

Watching as his teacher disappeared in a swirl of leaves, Sasuke could not help but feel slightly envious. 'Still wish he would've taught me that...' However, while watching the older man's technique, the boy forgot something all ninjas should never forget.

**"Hello, _boy_. You shouldn't have taken your eye off your enemy. If you do..." **The creature had snuck behind the Uchiha during his inner monologue. It breathed on his neck, filling the hair with the smell of rancid blood. **"...things could get messy."** This being said, the sand formed around Shukaku's arm just in time for it to backhand him in the face, knocking him to the ground in front of Naruto. The sand demon stared down at the boy with a look of distaste, noticing he was taking a staggeringly long time to gain his bearings after one shot. **"Please tell me you're not already done after me telling you hello. I really was hoping you would prove to be more of an entertainment than this..."**

Picking the boy up with his massive hand, it pivoted its body and whipped him around quickly before slamming him into the ground, causing a noticeable crunch to come from within Sasuke's body. **"Was that the sound of your ribs breaking? For my sake, I hope it was."** Leaning in close to the coughing boy's face, Shukaku grinned insanely as the raven-haired boy spat into its face. **"Well, seems there's a little more fight left in you. Guess I've been going to easy on you!"** Nothing more to be said, the demon threw the last Uchiha in Konoha into the air, shooting compacted beads of sand at his already battered body. Enjoying itself greatly, the tanuki-shaped being soon lost count of how many shots it had hit the boy with before letting the body hit the ground.

Noticing that Sasuke's chest still managed to rise and fall, even after such an attack, Shukaku laughed darkly. **"To have entertained me this long, I shall grant you the honor of having your blood drained and your marrow sucked dry. I hope you appreciate this!"** Announcing its intention, the one-tailed beast reshaped its hand into a weapon, condensing and moving the sand to form barb-tipped spear. Lunging forward with enough strength to pierce its target's body, the appendage broke through with a sickeningly wet sound, only to bring about the attacker's frown. **"Foolish mortal. It is not your blood that I seek." **Shukaku glared as a pink-haired girl stood before its target, the spear having pierced her chest in a foolish attempt to save the boy's life.

"Saku...ra... Why?" The boy looked up at her, signs of pain and confusion clear in his eyes.

Turning her head to the boy, she could only cough up blood before attempting to talk, blood and tears streaming down her face the entire time. "I did it because..." Extending her hand to the fallen boy, she showed only warmth in her eyes, even as she spoke her final words. "I love you... Sas-" However, she was unable to finish her sentence, as Shukaku tore its arm from within her chest, taking her life with it.

Watching the girl die in front of him, his body began to go into shock from the physical, mental and emotional pain he was experiencing. His vision going blurry, he used the last of his strength to try and grab his teammate's hand. His heart felt as if it had just been torn to pieces, realizing too late that he had been in love with her. Everything fading away, the last things he saw and heard before darkness claimed him was a look of surprise on the demons face and a feral growl coming from where he'd last noticed Naruto being held.

------------------------------

Within an undisclosed location, a man sat in a room that was only illuminated by the light coming from the security monitors in front of him. Ignoring all the other displays, he stared with rapt attention at the scene that unfolded between team seven and the creature that once used to be Gaara, thinking of ways to spin this in a way to benefit him. Before coming to a conclusion, he was interrupted from his thoughts by a voice coming from behind him.

"Sir, the attack is going as we anticipated. What are your orders, Lord Danzo?" Kneeling on the floor, their right arm crossed over their chest in a show of respect, the man spoke while facing the floor.

Stroking his chin in thought, the man looked at his subordinate with his non-bandaged eye, formulating a proper response. "Have all our troops use a simple henge (transformation) jutsu to look like civilians, and then attack all non-ROOT shinobi when they're least expecting it. Have them remove any markings from their persons that might lead anyone to suspect us of taking part, to be safe from suspicion should things go badly."

Never taking his eyes off his leader, the kneeling figure removed his mask and all other markings of ROOT from his body and clothing. "Sir, yes sir!" Not sticking around another second, the man quickly left to relay the orders to his comrades.

Turning back to the screen, Danzo was quickly startled to see a large mass of visible energy was coming off the boy that was stuck to the wall. 'Hmmm, it would seem that we'll be seeing not only the Ichibi, but also the Kyuubi. I'll blame the deaths of the people on that demon, and have him join my ranks. Should he refuse, we'll just have to execute him.' A grin appearing on his face, he began to chuckle almost as darkly as Shukaku had when killing the pink-haired kunoichi. 'Yes, everything is working out just nicely...'

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Within an energy barrier erected by Orochimaru's shinobi, the third Hokage was fighting with his summoned ally, Enma, when all fighting stopped as they felt an insidious energy come from within the stadium, even more evil feeling than what was coming form Shukaku.

"Ku ku ku... It would seem that the Kyuubi brat has decided to come out and play. Shall we stop to watch, or should we finish this?" Almost as if the last part was a signal, both the first and second Hokages resumed their assault. Had it not been for Enma's quick thinking, Sarutobi would've been killed. "What's the matter? Getting tired already? You really should have picked someone to take over after you, since you won't be leaving this place alive."

Pushing thoughts of the boy that was like his adoptive grandson to the back of his mind, Sarutobi Hiruzen glared with a renewed fire within his eyes. "You're right, I won't be. But neither will YOU!" Having used their telepathic link to explain his plan, the elderly man began to flash through hand seals as the monkey summons returned to his natural form and distract the snake-like person in front of them. 'Snake, Boar, Ram, Rabbit, Dog, Rat, Bird, Horse, Snake.' The Hokage then clapped his hands together to finish his jutsu. "Shiki Fūjin (Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal)!"

Not seeing anything happen, Orochimaru smirked at what he thought was a failed jutsu. Unseen by him, the grim reaper had manifested behind his old teacher, forcing its hand through the old man's back in order to access his soul.

------------------------------

Its attention being drawn away from its previous target, Shukaku laid eyes upon Naruto's thrashing body. His actions were not what frightened him, but the fact that the chakra that was billowing out from his body was powerful enough to vaporize the kunai that were holding him to the wall. No longer was the energy the calm blue that humans normally contained, but a bright red that promised nothing but evil and death.

Stepping down from the wall, the figure stretched its body, loud popping coming from every possible spot. **"Ah, it feels good to stretch my legs after those past twelve years. Guess it's time to make up for lost time." **The figure turned its head towards the sand demon, a malicious grin plastered on its face. **"Wouldn't you agree, Shukaku?"**

Before the raccoon demon could muster up the willpower to answer, the form before it began to rapidly change. Naruto's body had been wrapped in red chakra, but the actual body was indistinguishable. The energy being colored the way it was, it almost seemed as if he was set on fire. Hanging between its legs, there was not only one tail, but a total of four.

The amount of tails and the form's appearance startled the one-tailed beast immensely, since each demon's power is represented by its number of tails. Knowing that the situation did not look good, Shukaku began to step back, waving its hands in front of it in an attempt to placate the more powerful being. **"Hey, Kyuubi. You're not still upset about what I said earlier, are you? We both know I could never mean what I said, since we both know the differences in our power levels."** A nervous smile on its face, the sand demon hoped that its older brother was in a forgiving mood.

Tilting their head to the side, the fiery being seemed to be trying to figure out what Shukaku was talking about, until a look of recognition and a dark smirk fell upon its face. **"Oh, that's right. You had said you would kick _my_ ass, when we both know that to be laughable. Though, I guess I should be thankful for what you've done, since I've now got control over creature's body."**

Smiling at the last statement, Shukaku began to relax its body only to freeze as Kyuubi's body disappeared from in front of him. Eyes darting around, no sign could be found of the more powerful demon until there was a deep growl heard from behind. **"As thanks for helping me get out, I'll reward you by being the first to witness my power. Maybe, if you entertain me enough, I'll end your life quickly."**

A clawed hand, covered in red energy, shot towards the sand demon's face at a speed that not many could perceive. Upon impact, the weaker demon flew towards the other side of the arena, only to be stopped as the tails of its brother shot out and pierced its body. Applying pressure and energy to its appendages, Kyuubi tightened its grip upon Shukaku's limps, pulling them all away from each other. Nearly tearing off the raccoon demon's limbs, Kyuubi was rewarded with screams of pain coming from the other demon and Naruto's soul trapped within its own body.

'Give me back my body, you bastard!' The blonde was struggling to reclaim control over his own body, no longer wishing to just watch from the sidelines.

Clenching its head between both hands, Kyuubi stood still as it fought to keep control, Shukaku still tightly secured within its tails. **'Back off, boy! This is no longer your fight. You were too weak to do what was needed, and now you can sit back and watch.'**

Pushing even harder than before, Naruto began forcing his mind back to the front, nearly taking back control. 'I've lived this terrible life because of you, and I won't let you ruin it any further!'

Clenching its teeth and becoming short of breath, Kyuubi used the last of its control to slam Shukaku to the ground several times, managing to succeed in knocking the one-tailed beast unconscious just before it was forced back into its cage. **'I will get out, and you won't be able to stop me. You're too weak to not need my help.'**

Forcing back the last of the demonic power, Naruto regained control of his body, but was too exhausted to do any more than stumble over to Gaara's prone figure, which had reverted back to its original state when the demon was knocked unconscious. 'This is my body, and you can't have it...'

Naruto's nude body collapsed, clothes having been burned off when Kyuubi had taken over. Other than the blonde hair, he no longer looked like himself, having nearly all of his skin torn off by the sheer power of the demon sealed within his body. Whether he lived or died, he no longer had the physical or mental energy to care.

As the darkness claimed him, he was unable to see the pale eyes that watched him in fear, no longer showing the love and admiration they normally showed when looking at him...

------------------------------

Having been awoken by the dark energy coming from within the arena, Hinata found herself unable to move. Concentrating on her eyes, she was able to focus just enough chakra to her eyes to be able to use her Byakugan. Fear gripping her insides, the Hyuuga heiress could only look on as she saw the being that resembled Kyuubi, praying that Naruto was still okay.

Still unable to do anything other than watch, Hinata saw everything that occured, and was shocked when her beloved blonde-haired boy appeared as the appearance of Kyuubi left him. Confused about everything that was going on, too many thoughts went through her mind at once about the blonde. With the stress of her mental turmoil, her mind finally snapped, leaving her with nothing but fear at the boy she had previously idolized. Gone were her loving thoughts for him, as fear of what he is took over.

* * *

**~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~**

___Okay, here's the fifth chapter of the story! Yeah, quite a bit happened in this one. While the fight may not have lasted long, you have to take into account that no real fight lasts that long. I personally hate fights that are drawn out like Dragonball Z. (get the snot beat out of them for three episodes, make a comeback for one, charge up for two episodes, finish with ultimate attack, follow up with next episode looking back on previous episodes)_

___Now, no one has suggested females for Naruto's Harem. Hinata and Sakura are obviously out, so please send in ideas!_

**Read, rate and check back next friday for more!**


	6. The Root Of Change

**The Root Of Change**

_A love lost before it could be found was just a small part of the things that occurred on this saddening day. With all that was going on around them, no one had even a moment of time to mourn their losses, or they'd be next in line to meet the reaper. While most would fight tooth and nail to keep a way, one man had actually brought down the shinigami in an attempt to strike down his former student at the cost of his own life. No matter where you looked, today was no a joyous occasion....  
_

* * *

Danzo stared on as the violence unfolded, never leaving from his secure location while everyone else risked their lives. He would not bring himself to soil his own hands, but would instead use others as pawns in order to fulfill his own sick, twisted goals. 'A means to an end...'

"Sir, everything seems to be going as you've planned. Orochimaru is fleeing, Konoha's soldiers are weakened, the Sound and Sand forces are also in retreat, and all of our men are ready to move out. What are your orders?" One of the men that blindly followed him was kneeling on the floor by the darkened doorway, awaiting Danzo's orders.

Closing his eyes in an attempt to concentrate on the best options laid out before him, a smile came to the bandaged man's face. "Once the normal troops let down their guards, have our men incapacitate their forces with as little deadly force as possible. Then, transport them to the prison cells, and we'll work out what to do with them when this is all said and done. Don't forget to have them bound, gagged and sealed from using their chakra." Nodding at this decision, a thought came to mind that would allow him to boost his support of the civilians, create an alliance with Orochimaru and perhaps even with a couple other nations that still hold great levels of anger towards the departed third Hokage. "Oh, and be sure to send a few men down to the arena to gather the two demon containers and the last Uchiha before any of them have a chance to wake up."

Were it not for being trained his entire life to never show emotions, the soldier would have displayed a look of confusion and curiosity at this last part. "As you command, my lord." Without another word, his body disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves, leaving the scarred man to his display screens and thoughts.

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Within the arena that has originally been used for one-on-one combat, Konoha ninja could be seen trying to collect themselves after having such a grueling attack laid upon them. During all the noise and commotion when they enemy troops retreated, none had noticed as two Sand shinobi dropped in, picked up their comrad who was host to the one-tailed demon, and fled.

A muscular man with black hair and wearing green spandex stood beside his comrade, leaning on him in an attempt to catch his breath. "Kakashi, my rival, I'm not sure how much more I could've taken of that, had they not retreated. My burning youth was nearly snuffed out..."

The silver-haired man beside him placed his forehead protector back over his left eye, taking a breath before responding to his oddly clad friend. "Yeah, know what you mean. I hope my team was able to get themselves and the civilians to safety."

Nodding in agreement, Maito Guy looked out upon the arena, trying to take in all the destruction so that their lost comrades would not be forgotten. Passing over the floor of the arena, his eyes stopped with an intense gaze at the carnage he could see, his body tensing up. "Kakashi, do your Genin have blonde, black and pink hair?"

Not noticing the tension coming off the other man, Hatake Kakashi just nodded and sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, Sasuke has black hair, Naruto's the blonde and Sakura had the odd shade of pink for her hair. Why does that matter?"

Using his arm to get the attention of the silver-haired man, he pointed down at the location of said ninja. Taking in the sight, Kakashi felt a great sense of unease as they could see all three of them laying on the floor, blood pooled all around them. "Gai, let's go."

Using a shunshin, Kakashi managed to get both himself and the other man down to the three ninja, trying to find out what could be done to save even one of them, if possible. Kneeling over Sakura, he instantly knew she was beyond helping, since there was a large hole pierced through her torso and the blood had already started to thicken on the ground. With a cold feeling in his gut, he used two of his fingers to shut her eyes before giving short prayer. 'You died a shinobi's death. Take care in the next life.'

While Kakashi had been looking over Sakura, Gai had been looking over Naruto's badly burned body. Though it seemed he'd just come out of high-pressure kiln, he could clearly see the rise and fall of the boy's back, showing clear signs of life. Strangely, to the black-haired man's surprise, the skin was slowly but surely returning back to its previous state. 'Even at death's doors, his flames of youth still shines through.'

With Kakashi wearing a look of sadness on his face and Gai carrying Naruto's severely wounded body, both men made their way back to Sasuke in hopes of him still being alive, only to find that he was pale from blood loss and heavily wounded, yet he was still alive. Gently scooping the dark-haired boy into his arms, Kakashi still felt sadness at having lost one of his group, and still ran the risk of losing the others.

Before either of the two men could even look each other in the eye, four ROOT ninja surrounded them. Within the span of a second, two of the ninja delivered blows to the back of each man's head, knocking them unconscious, while the other two took the boys from their arms before they were dropped.

Darkness moving in to block out their vision, Kakashi's final sight was to see the last hopes of his team being taken away from him...

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Where the third Hokage had fought against Orochimaru, Konoha ANBU were looking on at the bodies of two Sound shinobi and their fallen leader.

"What are we to do now, Captain?" A man with a bird-like mask upon his face stood there, his body showing no signs of motivation to keep going after seeing the man he idolized cold on the ground.

Head back, eyes facing the sky, the purple-haired woman fought back the tears that risked escaping. 'First Hayate, and now the Hokage. What should I do?' Taking a deep breath, she fought back the urge to break down, struggling to keep strong in front of her subordinates. "Send the two Sound corpses to Ibiki, see if he can't figure out what happened. I'll take Sarutobi's body to the coroner, since we'll need to have it prepped for the funeral that will need to be performed."

Nodding his head in confirmation, him and the only other person there besides their captain placed the bodies over their shoulders, taking them to where they could be examined. Alone, the purple-haired woman allowed herself to let the tears fall, a deep feeling of sadness taking over as she looked down at the elderly man that led their nation. 'Even in death, he holds a grandfatherly smile on his face...'

Too distraught with her emotions, the female ANBU Captain fails to notice the masked figure sneaking up from behind.

------------------------------

Having fought tooth and nail to protect himself and his daughter, Hyuuga Hiashi carried his youngest child in his arms while walking back to his clan's complex. 'I hope everyone was able to take care of themselves, since it would be truly a disgust if our Byakugan could be defeated by such weak forces.'

Arriving beyond the main gates of his clan's home, he was greatly disturbed with the level of eery silence that hung in the air. Activating his Dōjutsu, Hiashi found most of his family bound and gagged where the council usually presides. Focusing most of his attention on his incapacitated family and their guards, he just barely noticed as someone rushed up behind him, delivering a blow to the base of his skull, rending him unconscious. Before his vision completely blacked out, he was able to see that he was attacked by none one of the members of his own council.

Laying on the ground, his daughter's body beside him, both of their faces showed signs of pain as a cursed seal appeared on their foreheads, marking them as slaves to the main family which no longer consisted of them.

------------------------------

Rushing from the village, a long-haired man with snake-like appearance was trying to get back to the Village of Sound, a look of immense pain on his face. 'Damn you, Sarutobi. Had it not been for you and that blasted technique, I would've won with no problem.' A sickly sweat on his face, Orochimaru found himself unable to use his blackened arms.

"Sir, are you going to be okay?" The bespectacled boy running alongside the injured man looked on with a frown, fearing that he'd lose his mealticket if something were to happen to Orochimaru.

After coughing up blood for a couple seconds, the pale man fought to slow his breathing down to be able to respond. "Yes, I'll be fine. What's the status on getting the Uchiha for my next vessel?" All the damage that had piled up on him, the body he was currently in was beyond repair.

Frowning and pushing his glasses further up his nose, Kabuto found himself hesitant to break the bad news to his master. "Sir, it would seem that the one-tailed's host dealt a great deal of damage to the boy. The best we can hope for is a long recovery, but he may not survive with the state that the hospital is in after our attack."

Stopping in his tracks, a look of fear and anger crossed Orochimaru's face, not liking the news of losing his ideal body due to his plans falling through. Closing his eyes and lowering his head, he tried to figure out a way to fix his situation. "Prepare another body, one that's not weak. I fear this body doesn't have much longer before it expires." Turning his attention to the young man beside him, he gave an evil glare that nearly caused Kabuto to lose control of his bladder. "if you do not find a host within five days, I'll just use your body. Would be a shame to lose such a promising subordinate due to his inability to follow orders."

Closing his eyes, trying to figure out all potential candidates for his master to use, Kabuto had failed to notice he was left alone where he was standing. After several minutes, he realized there was no one beside him, and he quickly took flight towards his new village.

------------------------------

Heading in the opposite direction from the previous group, two Sand shinobi could be seen heading towards their home country while supporting their younger brother. The normally unnerving boy who terrorized them when both awake or asleep was resting quite peacefully between the two, not stirring even once.

Turning to his older sister, Kankuro showed signs of fear and worry on his face. "Sis, what are we going to do? For as long as I can remember, he's never slept without changing." When speaking of the boy, he pointedly looked at his red-headed younger sibling.

Sweating from her panic, a look of fear and confusion was deeply written on Temari's face. "I'm not sure, but I get the distinct feeling that he won't be happy when he wakes up. That Uzumaki Naruto really put him in his place..."

Swallowing in an attempt to force down the bile that was rising from his fear, the puppet-wielding ninja blanched from the mental image of Gaara encasing them within his sand and ending their lives. "Speaking of, what do you think they're going to do with him? If they kill him, I think Gaara might just go on a rampage from being unable to do it himself."

Understanding where Kankuro was coming from, she tightened her grip on her youngest sibling and began to increase her speed. "For their sake and ours, let's hope he's treated like the hero that he is." After saying this, silence fell upon the trio as they rushed to return home before the youngest could wake up.

------------------------------

Leaving his hidden chambers after receiving news of all non-ROOT shinobi being captured and imprisoned, Danzo made his way to the Hokage tower via a hidden passage known only to a few. Without the resistance of the previous Hokage or his loyal soldiers, nothing stood in the way of him taking control over this nation, and reworking it to his image.

Taking his seat within the Hokage office, he thought over what he was going to do with the Uchiha, Hyuuga and demon brat. 'Sasuke is in a coma, and doesn't appear to be coming out of it any time soon. I'll have one of my agents extract DNA and sperm so I may replenish my ranks with Sharingan users. As for the Hyuugas, I've got them already in my pocket, but Hyuuga Hinata seems to also be in a coma from mental duress. No point in putting a seal on her, since she's trapped within her own mind. As for the demon... We'll harvest some of his DNA for Orochimaru, hold him prisoner until October tenth and have him executed for assaulting Uchiha Sasuke and murdering Haruno Sakura. I'll have the civilians eating out of the palm of my hand...'

Leaning back while continuing his inner-monologue, his thoughts only pertained to furthering his own position, not considering the effects it would have on others.

* * *

**~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~**

_Well, there's the sixth chapter. Yeah, I realize it's all over the place, but it was kind of necessary to explain what's going on. If there's grammar or spelling errors, please let me know. Next chapter is going to be fairly violent, and Naruto's going to get severely damaged._

_Not sure when the next chapter will be ready, since I've been having computer issues. Was barely even able to get a browser open to do this one. Will be attempting a full system reinstallation later today. Hopefully will have it fixed within the next day or two._

_Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because next chapter will be much better!_

**Read, rate and check back next friday for more!**


	7. The Pain Of A Hero

**The Pain Of A Hero  
**

_A world of freedom and happiness no more, everyone's lives were turned upside down. A village that was once peaceful and powerful was in pitiful condition from what it used to be. Saviors were held in chains and behind bars, while villains were roaming free without fear of persecution. No longer would things be easy, as a benevolent tyrant would surely see to it that all who opposed him would suffer, but none as much as a certain blond-haired boy held within solitary confinement on the outskirts of the town...  
_

* * *

**Day 1**

I woke up some time today, and I've no idea how long I was out. I'm not wearing any clothes, and my entire body feels like I've been dipped into a vat of scalding hot ramen, though never getting to enjoy the taste. Speaking of food, my stomach is louder than I've ever heard that damn fox get. When trying to look around for something to eat, I found that there's absolutely zero light in here and I'm chained to the floor and wall. Even without light, I'm still able to see. Guess the fox is good for one thing, the bastard. No restroom or food, yet they give me a pad of paper and a pen to keep a dictation. Kind of a twisted sense of humor, whoever they are. What did I do to get myself in such a situation?

**Day 2**

Not sure how long it's been since I first woke up in here, but I'll just count each period of sleep as the passing of a day. I've still not eaten anything, and the room is starting to smell horrible. The room has little to no ventilation, I'm sweating like a pig and I've been forced to sit in my own filth with no means to clean myself. While this journal is the only means of me keeping sane, I've the sneaking suspicion that the true purpose of it is to entertain my captors. Well, whatever the case, you bastards can kiss my ass! I've always lived a horrible life, and this isn't any worse than the beatings I'd get on my birthdays. Speaking of, there was only three weeks until then when the tournament started. How long do I have until then?

**Day 3**

So, still haven't seen anyone or even gotten anything to eat. With nothing really to do, I'm starting to get bored. The only thing for me to do is to pick on that damn demon that's trapped in my gut. He pretended to be asleep, and refused to even acknowledge my presence, until I brought his sexuality into question. His anger and angst would put even Sasuke to shame, and it's certainly nice to have some sense of normalcy. My injuries are all healed, but now I'm starting to get extremely itchy from the newly healed skin and the constant sweating. Huh, I think I hear something... Sounds like a bunch of people heading this way.

**Day 5**

Wasn't able to write yesterday, since those ANBU bastards broke both of my wrists a literally kicked the shit out of me. Still in some pain, but the demon was able to take care of most of it. I did happen to hear from the leader of the beating stop them all, stating that they had to keep me alive for another nine days. Guess I only have seven more days left to endure this. They also said something about Orochimaru wanting something. What's that about?

**Day 6**

Well, haven't been beaten lately, but it seems that the demon is in a more talkative mood, as our demise grows nearer. Looking back over what I've written, I can't help but notice that with my life being brought into focus, I'm able to think with more clarity. I just wish I could feel the wind on my face one last time, since I'll soon be leaving this world. I wonder if my parents will greet me up there, since I don't know who they are. Who am I kidding? No parent would want to claim a child with a demon within them. Can't help but feel kind of relieved that I've not much longer in this God forsaken world.

**Day 7**

If it weren't for the demon constantly healing my body, I think I would've passed out from starvation or dehydration by now. As it gets nearer to my birthday, time seems to move more slowly. Somehow, I get the feeling that God really hates me. Did I do something wrong in the past life? Shit, someone's coming. Guess I'm about to get beat down, again. Let's hope that it's not too b _(from here, he's cut-off mid-word)_

------------------------------

Many miles away, in the country of Wind, two genin looked on as their younger brother was still unconscious after his recent fight. He'd been asleep for two weeks, and actually has a peaceful look on his face.

"Sis, what should we do about him? I'm starting to get worried that the demon might be destroying his mind in there, and this is just the calm before the storm." The normally black-clad ninja was fidgeting in his seat, wearing only a white t-shirt and none of his usual war-paint.

Frowning, both at the question and the situation, his older sister stopped stroking her red-headed brother's hair. "Not sure, but I'm just worried how he's going to react when he wakes up and hears what's going on. I heard from Baki that Danzo and his men have taken control over Konoha, and that they're preparing to execute the boy that defeated Gaara during the invasion."

Before they could continue their conversation, the red-haired boy tensed and quickly sat up, his eyes opened as far as they could go. His voice cracking from lack of use, he turned to his sister with a look of pure rage on his face, quite unlike anything they'd ever seen. "Temari, what did you say?" Beneath the look of anger, you could tell there was also a hint of worry beneath the many layers of emotion.

Startled at his sudden awakening, Temari realized that it would've been foolish to expect him not to be aware of his surrounding, even though he was in a catatonic state. "Uh, just that Danzo and his ROOT militaristic forces have taken control over the village hidden in the leaves. Also that they're planning to execute that Uzumaki boy." Confused why this would matter to him, Temari watched the expressions that flashed over Gaara's face, trying to gather some form of insight.

Having listened to Temari repeat what he'd already heard, a growing sense of anger and apprehension settled into his stomach. 'I couldn't care less about that village, but that bastard can't die. I need him to stick around until I can beat him. Plus, I've never witnessed Shukaku so frightened of anyone else.' Having finished his inner monologue, Gaara turned his piercing gaze upon his sister, paying no attention to his brother that was pumping waves of fear off his quivering figure. "How long till then?"

Out of all the reactions she could expect from Gaara, eagerness and worry were not among them. Finding it nearly impossible to respond with the dark emotions in the air, Temari swallowed down the bile that threatened to come out and concentrated on answering his questions. "We've nearly a week until then. Did you want to watch, or something?" Having known her brother all this time, she wouldn't have put it past him and the demon inside him to enjoy such things.

Once again startling his two siblings, an unnerving smile appeared on his face. "Gather your weapons, blood replenishing pills and some bandages." Turning his body to the side of the bed, he hopped down to the floor without making a noise, concentrating his sand manipulation to bring him his shinobi gear. "We're running a rescue mission with a high possibility of getting mortally wounded. No one takes away my prey..."

Gulping down his fear, Kankuro jumped to his feet and took a step forward. "Gaara, what are you talking about? Why would you want to save that little runt?"

If looks could kill, Kankuro would have been dead several times over. Slowly making his way to his older brother, Gaara stared into his eyes, his sand swirling behind him in a menacing manner. "That 'runt' is the only true competition I've had in some time. If he dies, so do you. As long as he remains alive, I shall spare your miserable life. Do we have an understanding?"

Nearly voiding his bowels from the sheer levels if killing intent, the puppet user stumbled backwards, knocking over his chair in the process. "So, uh, what are we waiting for? Let's do this!" Fearing for his life, he quickly made his way out of the room to gather his puppets, weapons and other miscellaneous gear, never looking back at both of his siblings.

After watching her youngest brother verbally beat their other brother into submission, Temari chuckled when Gaara lowered his defenses and massaged his temples. "So, what's the real reason we're doing this, Gaara? Don't give me that crap about him being your prey, because that's a load of shit. Shukaku's been quiet since your fight, since you've been sleeping peacefully for the past two weeks."

Startled that his older sister had seen him drop his guard, Gaara tensed up momentarily before sighing. 'Unlike Kankuro, Temari should be able to understand. Not sure if it's because she's a woman, or because she actually cares, but I'm sure I can tell her.' Turning around, Gaara addressed his female sibling. "He's like me, but different. Even with the demon inside him, he still has people that weren't afraid to stand beside him. I want...no...I need that, too. I don't know if you understand, but I need his help..."

Not having seen this side of her brother since he was three, Temari stepped forward and hugged him without any hesitation. "I've wanted you to say that for so long... I'll gladly help you, little brother." Pulling back just slightly, she kissed his forehead and then fled the room, giving him no chance to react.

A genuine smile on his face, Gaara looked out the window, feeling hope for the first time in his life. 'We're coming for you, Uzumaki. Just hold on till then.'

------------------------------

_(Six Days Later)_

Having arrived the previous night before, beneath the cover of night, the three Sand shinobi were hidden within the woods outside of Konoha, keeping an eye on the building that Naruto's chakra signature was coming from. While the energy was weak, it was still fairly simple to locate from anywhere in the village. Add the fact that Kankuro's reconnaissance puppet had recorded one of the villagers brag about being in the group that beat on their captive "demon", it wasn't too difficult to pinpoint where the boy was being held. They'd have to be quick about it, though, since his execution was scheduled for tomorrow at 0800 hours, in front of the Hokage tower for everyone to see.

Having just witnessed the change of guard, Gaara and his siblings quickly made their way towards the opposite side of the building from the entrance, planting several explosive tags attached to Kankuro's chakra strings. "Let's head back to the entrance, then henge into a part of the landscape during the confusion that shall take place from the explosion. Once the guards leave the building, we'll go inside and remove Uzumaki from the building." Turning to look at the puppet specialist, Gaara noticed the look of worry on his face. "Kankuro, did you bring the cadaver like I requested?"

Surprised at being addressed, he quickly recovered while patting a scroll that was fastened to his hip. "Ah, yeah, no worries about that. Ready when you are."

Giving a slight nod of acknowledgement, Gaara signaled to quickly move to the entrance. "On the count of three, use the henge and detonate the tags." Receiving a nod in return from both siblings, everyone took their place. "One... Two... Three!" All three shifted forms into rocks and flora, their chakra spikes masked by the explosion that rocked the facility.

After waiting thirty seconds, two guards ran to the opposite side of the building, leaving the three teens to go about their business.

Tossing the scroll containing the cadaver to Gaara, Kankuro quickly went around the building to plant more explosive tags concealed beneath a genjutsu, pouring a scentless accelerant on the prison every step of the way.

While the explosives were being planted, Gaara and Temari made their way inside, tracking the weak chakra signature of their target. "Temari, I'll need you to be the one to get him out, as I'm unsure how he'd react if I attempted to do so. If necessary, I'll carry him out of here on a bed of sand. Otherwise, I'm just the brute strength should we encounter any issues."

Agreeing with Gaara, she focused solely on finding the boy that brought back the younger brother that she missed, planning to help him any way that they can. After a couple minutes of searching, they came across the door that would surely lead to the other demon vessel. Steeling themselves for the worst, they slowly opened the door and peeked in, checking for an ambush which did not occur.

Throwing the door the rest of the way open, both Sand shinobi tensed as the smells of urine, feces, sweat, blood and burnt flesh assaulted their senses. After a few seconds went by, Temari purged her stomach and Gaara was extremely unnerved at the sight before him.

* * *

**~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~**

_Sorry it's a day late, but the fiance refused to allow me any time to work on this, demanding all of my time and attention. However, in that time, I've come up with a few ideas for the later chapters which I'm sure you'll all enjoy. As of now, two of the main characters that will be the focus of the story are Naruto and Gaara. There will be three others, plus some side characters later on._

_Next chapter will be a bit graphic, so don't read if you're squeamish. I'll definitely have that chapter out by Friday, since I plan to get a few chapters prepared early, that way I'll have some already made in the event of writer's block or lack of time (such as when we move from Utah back to Ohio)._

**Read, rate and check back next friday for more!**


	8. Schemes For Greatness

**Schemes For Greatness**

_Throughout the ages, many a heinous crime has been committed that the general public would be disgusted of if they'd been privy with the knowledge of what had happened. Fortunately for those seen as nothing more than sheep by anyone in a position of power, they would be spared of such thoughts and allowed to live on in their petty excuses of life. Only those with the mental capability to stand against the crowd would be able to see the true depth of humanity's depravity, using these memories as fuel to work towards attaining a better world.  
_

* * *

Staring on at the disgusting sight before them, Gaara slowly stepped toward the unrecognizable form on the floor. Had it not been for his heightened sense of following chakra signatures, he would never have guessed that their target laid before them.

Covering his grimace with the sleeve of his cloak, Gaara tried to fend off the smell that permeated the room. "Temari, when you've settled yourself, hand me the scroll. Be quick about it, since I'm not sure how long he's going to last without Kankuro's medical aid."

Allowing her mind to wander to other places, Temari focused on the one spot in her homeland that she went to get away from the stresses of the world. All the peaceful memories brought on a calming effect that settled her stomach, though she wished it would also take away the taste from her mouth. Reaching into the pouch strapped to her side, Temari tossed the storage scroll to her brother. "Guess we should get to work making it look similar to Naruto if we're going to get away without them thinking he's still alive." A sadistic glint came to her eye as she realized how little effort it would take to remove the arms and incinerate the body.

Hearing the sound of a metal clasp being undone, followed by paper unfolding, Gaara went to work turning the cadaver they'd brought along into a substitute for his fellow demon container. "I'll take care of this while you get Naruto settled on the fan. Be prepared to cast the genjustu once I'm done, and I'll sound the alert to Konkuro to notify him to start the timer. We'll only have a minute to get out of here, so make sure you're ready." With this said, Gaara concentrated on finishing his task before sending out a smaller cloud of sand to notify their brother. "Let's move."

Without spending a further second to stick around, both shinobi made their way out of the building as quickly as they could without jarring the savaged body resting on their impromptu stretcher. With not even ten seconds to spare, they rushed out of the building and were immediately joined by their brother who remained silent until they were into the woods and their ears no longer rang from the explosion that destroyed the facility which had held disfigured friend. "We came all this way just to obtain his body? What a letdown."

Not turning his head, Gaara spoke in his usual monotone voice. "He isn't dead. The nine-tailed fox is keeping him alive, no matter how much he wishes he were dead."

While Konkuro had not picked up on it, Temari had caught the slightest tinge of pain within her youngest brother's voice, proving to her that Naruto was truly the one that had brought the light back into Gaara's life. No longer was he the killing machine that lust for blood, though it would probably take a much longer period of time before he showed signs of happiness that didn't involve inflicting pain or death upon others. Quite possibly, it would only come about if the younger blonde were to actually survive this ordeal. 'If Naruto doesn't survive this, I fear we may lose Gaara to a degree that he'll never be able to return from...'

------------------------------

From the distance, five sets of eyes looked on at the handiwork of the three sand siblings. It appeared that the three had underestimated the power of Danzo's forces, as they had thought his most prized prisoner was so lightly guarded. Such errors in judgement could be the death of them, and they most likely would not survive to make it back to their lands.

Looking at each other, the five nodded their silent agreement to their new assignment and quickly took to following the rescue party at a distance, intending to hide their presence from those that they followed.

------------------------------

Within his office, Danzo calmly looked down at the newly installed security system's display screen while waiting for his men to return from investigating the explosion that had taken place where he'd been keeping the demon child locked up. 'I don't know who they are, but they're good. Who hired them? I can't have any loose ends at a time like this.'

Interrupting his musing, the head of the team he'd dispatched earlier dropped in front of his desk, waiting for the order to speak what they'd discovered. He looked nearly identical to everyone else in ROOT, the only distinction being the single silver band of metal that adorned the top of his ear, showing his station within the ranks.

Frowning with impatience, the bandaged leader cleared his throat to signify his readiness to hear the news.

"Sir, it would seem that a team comprised of ninja from Sound were sent to finish off the demon. We found a sound headband attached to one of the bodies, and the prisoner was nearly turned completely to ashes." Giving only his observations and no opinions, as he was trained not to have any, the ROOT soldier went silent and awaited for further orders or dismissal.

Masking his frustration at this latest event, Danzo closed his eyes and thought through what would need to be done. "Alert the men of what's happened. I'll announce to the people that Orochimaru has taken the demon's body to experiment on as a peace offering. This will have the people look favorably upon my newly self-appointed promotion, thinking that we removed two dangers by sacrificing one to the other." A smug smirk flitted across his face at his own clever plans before gesturing for the officer to leave, allowing him to further his own plans. 'Soon, I'll have everyone eating from my hand and I'll rule Konoha for eternity once Orochimaru provides me with his immortality technique for the demon brat's dna. He'll be getting more than he needed, since my men got a little overly excited when extracting it.'

------------------------------

Locked inside of a white painted room that was slightly darkened due to age and disuse, the only sounds that could be heard were the manic sounds from the rooms on either side and the shallow breathing from the single occupant that laid upon a sorry excuse for a mattress.

With shortly cut hair of a beautiful purple shade and eyes resembling a pool of cream, Hinata stared at the ceiling with only the sensation of fear flowing through her body, occasionally shuddering from the eyes that sought after the blood, the eyes holding the same color as the fluid they longed for. Eyes no longer the lovely shade of blue even brighter than the summer sky, holding no happiness that normally would be present to brighten the days of all those that see it. Gone was her idol, to be replaced with a demon that could only be found within her darkest nightmares.

The fright of seeing him transform from his goofy exterior to the form of a malevolent beast had been too much for her to handle, causing Hinata to slip into insanity that could only be rivaled by Gaara at his most manic. All thoughts of happiness gone, the only benefit to being in this condition was that her family's seal could not be placed on her fragile mind without killing her and severely wounding all those wearing the seal due to feedback. Perhaps, if she someday can think for herself again, she'll be able to thank the deities for saving her from such a fate by hiding her in plain site.

------------------------------

Within a distant village not too many were aware existed, a silver-haired boy stood beneath the spray of his shower to remove the blood that covered his body from the recent operation that had taken place. Trying to calm down after such an intense session, he winced in pain as the hot water came into contact with the wounds on his torso he'd gained from upsetting his master.

'I was lucky to have gotten back from Konoha in time to find a suitable body for my lord to take over. If we'd taken a day longer, I'd no longer be in control of my own body, and that scares me more than I thought possible. A shame Kimimaro is useless with that debilitating disease, since he'd surely make a great host for my lord.' His brows lowering into a sadistic smirk, he couldn't help but wonder how great of a material he'd make once he passed on.

'A shame I had to flee Konoha before I could grab Sasuke, since it would be nice to have him recovered before Lord Orochimaru's current body fails. Truly, I'd hate to be his next sacrifice, since there's so many experiments I'm just dying to do...' This said, he thought back on Naruto and Gaara, thinking that the two demon containers would be excellent materials to work with to create his greatest masterpiece.

* * *

**~~~~~~~~!x!x!Author's Note!x!x!~~~~~~~~**

_Well, there's the eighth chapter. Yeah, I realize it's all over the place, but it was kind of necessary to explain what's going on. If there's grammar or spelling errors, please let me know. Sorry it took so long since my last update - life's been hectic over here with the marriage, two receptions, cross country move and job hunt...  
_

_Not sure when the next chapter will be ready, since I'm busy lately just trying to find a job. Hopefully the chapter wasn't too much of a letdown compared to the previous chapters. Give it some time, and you'll find out exactly where I'm going with this one.  
_

_Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because next chapter will be much better!_

**Read, review and check back later for more!**


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